RELATIONSHIPS:  Everybody wants to be somebody special, and everyone needs encouragement.  I remember when I first showed up to RAF Mildenhall in January 1988.

I was a young Staff Sergeant with a wife and young son and I had never been overseas.  I am from a small town in Georgia and didn't know a whole lot about the big wide world.  I was basically faking it with my wife and members of my family.  I tried to make them think I had this world travel thing and that I was cool, calm and collected.  The truth is I was a wreck.  I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t understand the currency, I didn’t understand the culture, and I really didn’t understand myself.  That is when I meet Sgt Frederick Thomas (aka Freeze).  Freeze was the kind of guy that when he walked into a room everyone gravitated toward him.  He had a ready smile, strong handshake and a hug for all the ladies (we will talk about that in a later post), he was an immediate friend.  He took me under his wing and made my transition to England a lot easier.  He was there to help me get a place to stay, a vehicle and connected me to the right people to make life in England good.

Freeze was a master in developing relationships.  You see he had a way of not only adding value to people but he showed you your own value no matter how deep it was hidden inside you.  I don’t know if he ever knew this but when you help one person, you’re impacting several others. What you give to one individual overflows into the lives of everyone they interact with as well.  Because of what he did for me I was always trying to pay it forward.  I wanted everyone that I met coming to England for the first time to get the reception that I received.  

Freeze had very strong people skills and because of that, he was super successful and a great influencer.  As my friend and mentor, John Maxwell says Leadership is influence nothing more and nothing less.  Until your people skills are strong, your influence will be weak. Only very tiny visions can be accomplished alone; to achieve anything worthwhile involves working with a team. To multiply our influence, we must learn to connect with others in mutually productive ways.  We must also care about the people we come in contact with, John Maxwell also famously put it “People don’t care how much you know unless they know how much you care”. 

Freeze taught me a lot about friendship and relationships.  He passed on about eight months ago, I miss him every day but he is always in my thoughts.  I will always keep this with me from him, that you can never be truly successful unless you develop good relationships. 

Frederick (Freeze) Thomas, I am missing you brother!